So, instead, all 36 clubs will be manually drawn, using balls, and a “designated automated software”, provided by AE Live, will randomly draw eight opponents from across the four pots. This information will be relayed at the venue and on television.
The computer will also allocate the home-and-away fixtures and the process will begin with Pot 1 and continue in descending order, until all the teams know their schedule.
On Saturday 31 August, the full list of kick-off dates and times will be revealed, ensuring there are no calendar clashes with sides playing in the same cities across the competitions.
It may take some getting used to but we will be across all the details nearer the time, including a full list of which teams we could meet in the league phase.
